The harmless hognose snake will really put on an act to persuade a person or animal not to mess with it. It will coil, flatten, fake-strike, hiss, writhe, emit musk or play dead.

Diva

The harmless hognose snake will really put on an act to persuade a person or animal not to mess with it. It will coil, flatten, fake-strike, hiss, writhe, emit musk or play dead.

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

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Hamlet

The hognose is the Hamlet of Texas snakes.

Hamlet

The hognose is the Hamlet of Texas snakes.

Photo: Universal Pictures International

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Lone ranger

Snakes live solitary lives, even if other snakes are nearby -- no family or social groups. A small snake may live 12 years, and a large one can live up to 40 years. They mate in spring. Some species lay eggs, while others have live birth.

The only sure way to know if a snake is venomous is if it has grooved fangs and venom glands. But don't forget how to distinguish a coral snake: a red band next to a yellow band.

One way

The only sure way to know if a snake is venomous is if it has grooved fangs and venom glands. But don't forget how to distinguish a coral snake: a red band next to a yellow band.

Photo: Steve Upperman

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Not that bad

You can avoid snakes if you don't reach under rocks, logs or leaf piles, and if you beat the ground with a stick while you walk in an area where snakes are likely. Only two or three snakebite deaths occur in Texas annually. That compares to five to seven from insect bites and eight from lightning.

Snake sightings are no surprise to Texans, but some can be viscous, ginormous and downright terrifying. Keep clicking to see snakes that have made national headlines.

Snake sightings are no surprise to Texans, but some can be viscous, ginormous and downright terrifying. Keep clicking to see snakes that have made national headlines.

Photo: File

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Snake sightings are no surprise to Texans, but some can be viscous, ginormous and downright terrifying. Keep clicking to see snakes that have made national headlines.

Snake sightings are no surprise to Texans, but some can be viscous, ginormous and downright terrifying. Keep clicking to see snakes that have made national headlines.

Photo: File

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Snake falls from airplane overhead compartment on a flight to Mexico City.

A real-life "Snakes on a Plane" encounter happened on a flight to Mexico City when a 5-foot serpent descended from the overhead compartment Sunday. The reptile can be seen slowly slithering down the inside of the plane before falling onto seats on an Aeromexico flight.

Photos alleging to show a giant rattlesnake den and a monster gator inside a Texas culvert, or drain pipe, are making the rounds among Texas Facebook users thanks to a post by I Love Texas.Read more here

Roughly 3,600 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines participated in a 10-day survival training event in February 2017 in Sattahip, Thailand, that included drinking the blood of a cobra snake, part of the jungle survival portion of the program, according to previous photos from the event.

San Marcos man Bubba Ward recalled this big, slithery surprise when fishing on the San Marcos River in February 2017. "When I got ready to get back in the boat, I reached to grab the branch and that's when I noticed (the snake) there," Ward said. "He was definitely aware of my presence—moving his head back and forth with the motion of the boat."

The brave souls taking a dip in Central Texas' Yegua Creek had a deadly, slithery swimming companion Sunday afternoon, Feb. 12, 2017.
Texas Parks and Wildlife spotted a cottonmouth snake in the waterway near Lake Somerville east of Austin and uploaded a photo to Facebook with the caption: " Looks like this cottonmouth is not missing many meals."

Deborah Burdette, a woman from North Texas, took on two snakes "mortal combat" style in her kitchen in July 2016, sustaining a bite from one and killing both, according to media reports. One of the snakes, which had both snuck into her kitchen via a hole behind her dishwasher, was later determined to be a water moccasin.

Facebook user Tommy Mastrippolito uploaded this photo of a ginormous rattle snake caught in Abilene Sept. 29, 2015. According to the photo's comments, the snake had eaten three rats before it was killed.

“Picked my deer blind up to rebuild it and killed 26 rattlesnakes and one that we weren’t sure what it was this morning at the lease,” Rusty Hopper said in Facebook post from March 2016 that made even the toughest Texans squirm.

Texas country music star Kevin Fowler took to Facebook in March 2015 to warn against rattlesnakes by posting photo of what happened to a friend's hand when he was bit. "All of you people who cry about folks killing rattlesnakes have probably never seen what it looks like when you get bit by one."

A photo showing a man holding an 11-foot rattlesnake in George West went viral, but it is actually not as big as it seems. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed in early July 2015 that the rattlesnake was positioned to exaggerate its size.

"Snake removed from visitor’s locker room at AT& T Center before Game 2"

Portland Trail Blazer Mo Williams and the rest of the Blazers were welcomed to game 2 of their playoff series with the Spurs in May 2014 by a snake, who was hanging out in their dressing room of the AT&T Center. The snake was believed to have entered the facility after the old stable/barn facility adjacent to the AT&T Center was torn down.

An employee at The Clubs of Kingwood at Deerwood golf course just north of Houston spotted a snake in a cup in March 2015. “We see snakes all the time on the course but never one caught under the cup. Sometimes we found dead ones in the cups though,” Superintendent Ed Martinez told the Houston Chronicle.

Austin man Andrew Barlow found this Texas rat snake in his barbecue pit on Sunday, July 19, 2015.
He posted this photo on social media after his dog sniffed out a Texas rat snake, which are not poisonous, stuck at the bottom of the barbecue pit.

He posted on Facebook: "Anybody have recommendations on a good replacement barbecue grill? (P.S. I wasn't scared. Not a bit. Seriously. I always grab drumsticks to deal with random serpents.)"

A 14-year-old boy was bitten by a Northern copperhead while visiting Connecticut's Devil’s Den Preserve on a class field trip on July 6, 2015. Although copperheads are poisonous, the boy was expected to make a full recovery.

"Cobra that killed teen on the loose in Austin, residents share fear online"

On July 14, Austin Police announced their search for a cobra that they believe bit and killed 18-year-old Grant Thompson. The search went viral on Twitter, with serious and exaggerated concerns. A few Twitter users even created parody accounts for the missing cobra. The snake was later found dead in a parking lot.

"The story behind this viral photo of a squirrel eating a snake at a Texas park"

A squirrel, photographed at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, made headlines after it was seen eating a snake. According to a Facebook post, the squirrel ate most of the snake, "bones and all." Rock squirrels eat mostly plants, fruits and nuts, but they are omnivores, so they do eat bird eggs, lizards and snakes.

"Man in 'snake-proof' suit to be 'eaten' by anaconda during Discovery Channel special"

Paul Rosolie, a filmmaker and naturalist, built a custom snake-proof suit so he could be devoured by an anaconda for a Discovery Channel television special. A YouTube promo for the Dec. 7 special — titled, predictably, "Eaten Alive" — shows Rosolie stalking an anaconda, otherwise minding its own business, before it presumably attacks and eats him.

This 13-inch Baron's Racer snake was thought to have disappeared from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo in mid-July 2015, was found safe in its cage. The snake was though to have escaped and been eaten by a bird, but it camouflaged itself in its enclosure.

We all know the dangers some snake bites can pose to humans, but we don't always remember to watch out for our dogs.

Austin veterinarians are reporting an increase in rattlesnake bites to dogs. They recommend the Red Rock Rattlesnake Vaccine, which can ward against injury or even death. The injection can help neutralize venom by helping dogs develop antibodies that combat the poison. It can only be given to pups older than 16 weeks.

"The snakes are coming out of hibernation, they're cranky and are more likely to strike where sometimes they might try to avoid that," Jim Holcomb of Hill Country Animal Hospital Veterinarian told KVUE.

This season has been particularly active due to unusually warm weather. The higher temps are luring snakes out of hibernation earlier, Texas Parks & Wildlife wildlife biologist Annaliese Scoggin explained.

"This time of year, snakes aren't usually out for good," Scoggin told KTXS. "They'll come out on warm days and then retreat to their hibernaculums when we have cold weather or overnight. So we may see some snakes during the day, so you have to watch where you're stepping and putting your hands to keep you safe."

One positive aspect to a hotter-than-average spring: in warmer months, snakes will rattle. So at least this type of serpent offers passersby a warning, although it's not the most common type of snake in Texas.

According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, Southern copperheads are the most common variety found in east Texas. The light brown reptiles have darker bands and are common in the wooded areas surrounding Houston. While they are venomous, the toxicity of their venom is low, so their bites are rarely fatal.

Clint Pustejovsky with Texas Snakes and More tells us how to avoid a snake bite. (Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle)

Media: Houston Chronicle

See the video above for tips on how to avoid snake bites.

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